Q&A Cage Match: Sonicare EasyClean vs. Sonicare Essence

Sonicare EasyClean

vs.

Sonicare Essence 5600

… Fight!

In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed an influx of people looking to compare the Sonicare EasyClean and the Sonicare Essence 5600. Now, I mean, you could kick back and read the full reviews on each brush, but I have a better idea. But I’ll tell you right now, it’s not much of a fight.

but not by much. The Quadpacer feature (for the uninitiated: your dentist recommends a two-minute brushing session, so Quadpacer times you and breaks each session into 30 second chunks so each section of your mouth gets equal attention) is the only major difference between them. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but I’ve seen Sonicare users who downgraded to the Sonicare Essence cite its absence as a disappointment. Oh, and that Pause function to let you slather on some extra toothpaste without losing your place is kind of handy, too.

Price

Yeah, yeah, it’s no shock that the Sonicare Essence’s list price is the cheaper of the two models, but I’ll tell you — I can’t remember the last time I haven’t seen it heavily discounted. Amazon.com has sales on all its electric toothbrushes frequently, but when it comes to this brush, they’re not shy about cutting back the price. If you’re looking for a bargain basement option that will still clean your teeth, the Essence has its price tag in its favour.

Potential Issues

Sonicare EasyClean

Sonicare Essence

Small and light means it’s easily knocked over

Old brush heads from earlier generation won’t work

No travel case, but it does support 100-240VAC and 50/60hz

Did I mention the weird gunky buildup? Ew.

Ni-MH battery suffers when at full charge, so treat it with care

Has travel case, but model available in the US only runs on 110v current

Customer Rating

Winner: Sonicare EasyClean

And there you have it. I’ll be honest with you, this is probably as close to a blowout as this website is likely to ever see. If you’re looking to save money and don’t mind a strict cleaning regime (for your toothbrush, not your teeth — I mentioned the gunk, right?), the Essence is reasonable choice, but the